Vidyut Jammwal's 'Sanak' review: Only flashy action scenes work here
Our expectation from new age action star Vidyut Jammwal is mostly of impressive action movies. He is trained in martial arts and looks great while packing a punch. So no one really demands high-voltage drama or romance from him. But without any thrill in the plot, these punches also lose impact. Something similar has happened in his latest outing Sanak. Here's our review.
MMA trainer Vivaan will fight terrorists in a hostage situation
As seen in the trailer, Jammwal plays Vivaan, an MMA trainer whose wife Anshika (Rukmini Maitra) is admitted to a big Mumbai hospital. Things turn ugly when a group of assailants attacks the hospital, taking everyone hostage. The story now follows Vivaan fighting his way against multiple trained terrorists with arms to reach Anshika and save her and in turn others.
Stylish action not enough to hold your attention
One reason why the trailer was impressive was that it was a medley of all the nicely crafted action scenes. So whenever those sequences or other innovative combat scenes come onscreen, you gape in awe. The use of the camera in such scenes is brilliant. But these are certainly not enough to engage you throughout the two-hour-long runtime. Flaky dialogues suck the soul out.
Poor writing reflects in the other main characters' arcs
While it is a one-man Jammwal's Rambo show, Maitra, Neha Dhupia as a stern police officer, and Chandan Roy Sanyal as the bad guy do get some footage. But none of it is engaging. Maitra should have died for schooling the terrorists at least twice, Roy Sanyal can only do so much with prosthetic scars and sneering dialogues and Dhupia's character's conviction doesn't land.
Action director Andy Long Nguyen deserves praise
Action director Andy Long Nguyen deserves praise for the level of perfection with which all combat movements get executed. Director Kanishk Varma does one thing right: giving us enough time to properly enjoy these scenes. If you are an action movie buff, give it a shot. Otherwise, cheesy dialogues and two below-average songs won't keep you entertained. Verdict: The Disney+ Hotstar flick gets 2.5/5.
